1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fixing member used for thermal fixing of an electrophotographic image and a manufacturing method thereof, and a fixing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
A toner image obtained in an electrophotographic image forming apparatus is formed on various recording materials. Among them, a sheet of paper most commonly used as a recording material has irregularities due to paper fibers on its surface, and a toner image is formed on the irregularities. Unfixed toner particles formed on the sheet of paper is crushed by heating while being pressed by a fixing member, so as to fix on the paper surface. In a case where a surface layer of the fixing member is hard, a toner present on the raised portion of the paper surface is well crushed. However, a toner present on the depressed portion of the paper surface is not sufficiently pressed by a fixing member, and therefore, with the toner maintaining particle shape, a portion lacking gloss may be generated. As a result, a fixing toner image formed on one sheet of paper includes a high gloss portion and a low gloss portion. On the other hand, a fixing member with a soft surface is in contact well with the toner particles located in the depressed portion of a paper surface and can apply power to press the toner particles, since the surface layer conforms well to the depressed portion of the paper surface. As the fixing member having a soft surface layer, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-058197 discloses a fixing member having a toner releasing layer including a fluororubber having an ether linkage in its molecule and a polysiloxane surfactant having a polyether structure.